Changes in Autumn
by Aimee6
Summary: chapter 3 is up!!!Daine has been given the care of a 2 year old boy, until his real parents come to take him back, will Numair be able to fight a battle without magic? Will Daine ever get the little boy back?And is Daine hiding a secret from Numair?
1. A New Arrival, and Chapter 2, Settling I...

Changes in Autumn

Chapter 1: A New Arrival

Daine stood in the Palace gardens talking to the courtyard sparrows, which were fed by Keladry. They chattered of the big cold that would come soon. Daine smiled and answered silently back.

A boy, about 2 years old hid behind a bush. Daine's back was to him. He was dressed in a sparse piece of cloth that was covered in dirt and mud. The boy's hair was a musty brown; his dark brown eyes were frightened. He shivered, though it was plenty warm outside for autumn.

A sparrow looked around Daine, as though it had seen the boy in the bushes, shiver. Crown chirped her concern to Daine. She listened carefully, then slowly turned around. She was facing the bushes, when Crown and two other sparrows took flight and landed on the bush, in which the boy was hid. Crown chattered quickly, and Daine walked over to her. Kneeling down towards the bush, Daine gently parted the front of the bush with her hands. The boy tried to scramble backwards, when Daine's face had appeared, but failed because of the bush behind him. He whimpered and covered his face with his hands.

"You poor thing," Daine murmured to him. "Come now. You don't have to be afraid. Let me look at you." The softness in Daine's voice made him uncover his face. She smiled at the boy. "Come here." The boy hesitated, then moved slightly forward. Daine coaxed again, "Come on, I won't hurt you." He inched forward slowly. Daine coaxing until he was within arms reach. Picking the boy up slowly, so as not to frighten him, she removed him from the bushes. She held him close to her, as she made her way back to the Palace. Walking quickly, she examined his body with her eyes. His arms looked more like twigs, than human arms. His face was pale, but covered in a layer of dirt. He was little more than skin and bones. Shaking her head, she headed towards her rooms. 

Coming upon her door, she balanced the boy on her hip and opened it. Numair Salmalin sat at the large wooden, mahogany desk within their rooms. The desk was covered with papers. Numair looked up smiling, but his smile quickly faded. It was replaced by a frown. Daine bit her lip. Please don't let him be mad, she prayed to God, Mithros.

"He's hurt," Daine told Numair softly.

"I can see that." Numair's voice was just as soft as Daine's, but with some sharpness in it. The realm knew that Numair was not very keen on young children.

"Can you help him? I believe he may have a fever. Please do not frighten him. I had a job getting him out of the bushes," Daine replied.

"Mithros! The bushes! Of all places!" Numair's voice was much louder than Daine's quiet tone. The boy whimpered and huddled closer to Daine.

"Numair, stop it! You are scaring him. Now, are you going to help him, or shall I get Alanna?" The child relaxed in Daine's hold at the sound of her firm voice.

"You know I'll help him," Daine was tickled to see that Numair's voice was much more willing than before. She smiled at him. Numair returned a grim smile.

Hours later, Daine sat upon the bed in her chambers, stroking the now clean boy's head. He slept soundly. His breath was calm and even. The boy had to be scrubbed clean before Numair would examine him. After several baths, to get the grim away from the boy's delicate skin, Daine brought a very pale and malnourished two year old boy to Numair. 

The boy would not let Numair examine him without Daine holding him in her lap. She talked soothingly to the boy and stroked his head. Numair got rid of the fever that was building up in the boy's frail body. He then had some biscuits and fresh milk brought to the boy. The child gulped the food and biscuits down in seconds. Daine found a small shirt of hers and dressed the boy in it. She then tried to put him to bed in her canopy bed. 

The boy was clearly afraid of it and trembled in Daine's arms. Some more coaxing to the child allowed her to put him to bed. She gently rubbed his face, which were now quite rosy from the scrubbing. His hair was a dark brown now that it was clean. His brown eyes were no longer afraid as he slowly drifted off to sleep. Daine sang a soft lullaby to the boy. Once she was sure that the boy was asleep, she then tucked the red satin covers around his small body. She turned around to see Numair standing in the doorway smiling. He had a soft look in his eyes, that Daine had never seen before.

"What?!" Daine asked quietly to Numair.

"I never realized how well you were with children. Come here magelet," He opened his arms and Daine went to hug him. Numair held his love in his arms for a while. Both looked over at the sleeping babe. Calmness was around them as Daine sighed contentedly in her love's arms.

Chapter 2: Settling In

"No!" The boy said sternly. He sat at the small oak table in Daine and Numair's room. Numair had been trying to get the boy to at least taste the greens on his plate, for the past hour. The boy spoke little to Numair.

"May I ask _why_ you will not try them?" Numair asked the boy, his patience growing thin.

"They green!" The boy said turning his head.

"Well then, we may as well not feed you at all if you won't eat your greens!" Numair told the boy sharply. The boy's eyes widened, and quickly picked up a tiny piece of green lettuce on his plate. He quickly stuffed it in his mouth and chewed. The boy's face scrunched up quite a bit before he swallowed.

"No!" the boy replied and pushed the rest of the greens away.

A female voice giggled.

"May I ask what is so funny?" Numair asked Daine his eyebrows raised.

"Nothing. I just didn't know you did so well with children," She replied smartly.

"Humph," was all Numair said.

The boy, realizing that Daine was in the room, ran to her. Daine stooped low to embrace the boy.

"He made me eat yucky greens!" The boy cried out.

Daine smiled, "Well, now you won't have to eat them again."

"Good," the boy sighed into Daine's arms. She picked him up gently. For the first week, since Daine had brought him to the palace, the boy had not spoken a word to Daine or Numair. Slowly, the boy had learned to trust them both. He did shy away from Numair, mostly because of his temper.

"Do you have a name sweetie?" Daine finally dared to ask the boy. Not sure if the boy was an orphan, or if he didn't know his name, Daine avoided the question until now.

The boy shook his head.

"Will you give me a name? I want a name," the boy looked pleadingly at Daine with his brown eyes.

"Yes I will. Could you go into Numair's study for a moment please?" The boy nodded. Daine put him back down on the floor, and he left the room. Numair went to shut the door between the study and bedroom.

"Cody." He told Daine softly.

"What?" Daine asked confused.

"His name will be Cody," Numair told her.

And that was that. Daine smiled at her love. He might need to get used to Cody, but he still liked him.

"Does this mean we can keep him?" Daine's voice was hopeful.

"Only if no one claims him. And that is a 'if'" Daine sighed heavily. Well, that was better than nothing, she thought to herself.

Later that day

"Numair, Daine, open up!" A loud, booming, female voice echoed on the other side of the door. Alanna of Trebond had grown extremely curious why Numair and Daine haven't been out of their rooms in a week.

Daine opened the door, to a short redhead.

"Why on earth haven't you been out of your rooms?" Alanna demanded.

"Alanna, how nice to see you," Numair greeted the redhead.

"Forget about welcoming. Answer my question! Are you ill, is there something wrong?" Alanna demanded.

Just then Cody entered the room. "Mama," Cody had decided to call Daine, 'mama' just hours ago, "what matter?"

"Nothing sweet," Daine replied smiling. Cody rushed over to Daine. He eyed Alanna with curiosity. 

"What is that?" Alanna shouted at Numair.

"What does it look like?" Numair asked smugly

"A child I know…but…" Her voice trailed, clearly confused.

"Alanna let us explain," Daine began.


	2. Chapter3 Explaining to the King

Changes In Autumn

Chapter 3: Explaining to the King

I own none of these characters except Cody and his parents, which are yet to be named. The rest I love but unfortunately don't own them.

"Okay, explain," Alanna replied clearly not too happy with a child being in Daine and Numair's rooms. She sat down on the nearest chair and waited for Daine and Numair to explain their situation.

"I found him. He was in the bushes," Alanna muttered something under her breath, which sounded a lot like 'the bushes of all places'. "He was sick and nothing more than skin and bones."

"He still is!" Alanna cried.

"He has wonderful speech, and he isn't a nuisance. I don't see why it's such a problem to keep him," Daine told Alanna.

"The problem is," Alanna's voice softened when she saw how upset Daine looked. "He's not yours. He might have family. We have to tell Jonathon and Thayet about this."

"I understand that. But what if he doesn't have any family? What will happen then?" Daine was clearly attached to this boy.

"Jon and Thayet will have to decide that. You have to talk to them _today_." 

"Alright we shall go now," Daine said sighing.

Alanna rose from her seat and walked out of the room. Daine followed slowly behind, with Cody in tow. Numair was left looking confused in the rooms. Never had he seen Daine look that upset over a person. An animal—yes, but a human…no. He quickly realized that he was the only one left behind and ran to catch up with Daine.

Numair reached them as Alanna knocked on the King's study door. A servant opened the door. "Lady Alanna, and Lady Daine to see you sire." The guard told the King bowing to admit the women. Numair waited outside.

"Well hello, Alanna. Daine nice to see you too," Jonathon replied.

"Jon, we have a problem," Alanna pointed to the small figure hiding behind Daine.

"I see," The king sighed. "Well you might as well explain."

Alanna quickly explained everything Daine had told her. Jon sighed again and rubbed his forehead. 

"We shall post scrolls around Tortall. If anyone is missing a child, they will report to the Palace. They will have to have proved that Cody is their son, before I will hand him over to them. In three months, if no one claims him, Daine, you and Numair will be able to adopt him. Please do not cause a scene right now. Sure enough one will be started with the scrolls. Just don't start one until then. Now, I have some business attend to, if you'll excuse me."

Daine and Alanna bowed to their king, and left with Cody. Numair was waiting outside when the women exited the King's study.

"So?" He asked cautiously.

"We have to wait three months," Daine told him sadly.

"Oh magelet. It won't be that long. Don't worry," He told Daine hugging her around the shoulders.


End file.
